There is an art to tacos. Putting together mystery meat, canned beans, and covering it with aerosol cheese is not a taco; no offense, Taco Bell. While I love a Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco Supreme as much as the next guy, I’m looking for something a little more serious. When asking Jacksonville natives where I can find the best taco artists in town, one answer is always a given: TacoLu. Most answer, “Duh, you should have already known this!”

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Jacksonville, and I was craving some tacos, so I took the drive down Beach Boulevard to TacoLu. Added bonus, TacoLu has a brunch special every Sunday from noon to 2pm. This special includes a number of great drink specials: $2 drafts, $4 sangrias, and $5 margaritas, just to name a few. And if tequila is your thing, they have over 120 kinds to choose from. Today it wasn’t as much about their drinks as it was about the tacos. Every day at TacoLu, along with their extensive à la carte taco menu, they offer special tacos that are only available that day. As our waiter starts to read of the list of those tacos, one grabbed my attention, scallop tacos; I had to give this one a try. Along with the scallop taco, the Bangin' Shrimp taco sounded delicious. It is a spicy taco served on cabbage with chipotle crema and topped with a sprinkle of scallions. Both are served on a soft flour tortilla. One of the unique things about TacoLu is that you can substitute tempeh or fish in any taco. So I changed mine to the Tempeh Bangin taco. These tacos are out of sight. The tacos come fresh, hot and delicious. Plus, the addition of bottomless chips and salsa didn’t hurt either.

TacoLu has a fun hip feel to it. The servers are nice and everyone is having a good time. My advice is to catch their Sunday brunch. I had two tacos and two beers for $10. In the words of TacoLu, “We’re not trying to change anyone’s mind about Mexican food; just open it up a bit!” Mission accomplished.